On Saturdays we catch up with the non-finance related items that we didn’t get to earlier in the week. You can check out last week’s edition here. Have a great weekend!
Quote of the Day
"AI, completely detached from reality, will have a hard time making things that connect with people."
(Bill Oppenheimer)
EVs
- EV prices are becoming more competitive with ICEs. (nytimes.com)
- Cities are rushing to add EV chargers. (axios.com)
- Mercedes-Benz is launching an electric version of the popular eSprinter van. (arstechnica.com)
- Rivian ($RIVN) is working on an e-bike. (theverge.com)
Energy
- How used EV batteries can be repurposed for grid-scale storage. (axios.com)
- Micro nuclear reactors may find a home powering college campuses. (abcnews.go.com)
Environment
- Plastic production is only going up. (nytimes.com)
- How the Inflation Reduction Act harnesses the market to help curb emissions. (theatlantic.com)
- The Alps are rapidly losing their snow cover. (ft.com)
- Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the U.S. (visualcapitalist.com)
- Are new non-stick pans safe or not? (msn.com)
Science
- How CRISPR could be used to help plants fight off pests. (technologyreview.com)
- Beavers have made their return to England. (thecooldown.com)
Technology
- Why new technologies reliably set off a new hype cycle. (ritholtz.com)
- Tim Harford, "There is plenty of demand for bullshit in the world and, if it’s cheap enough, it will be supplied in enormous quantities." (on.ft.com)
- There is still no killer app for VR. (fastcompany.com)
Behavior
- The U.S. teen mental health crisis started in 2012. (jonathanhaidt.substack.com)
- Some people get a benefit from just a handful of therapy sessions. (theatlantic.com)
- Doing less is often a better solution than doing more. (behavioralscientist.org)
- Why some people get addicted to sports gambling. (theconversation.com)
Covid
- The pandemic isn't over for the 65+ crowd. (bloomberg.com)
- Interferon is a promising treatment for Covid which for some reason is not widely available. (nytimes.com)
- Covid rebounds can happen even absent Paxlovid. (scientificamerican.com)
- A novel way to track how many Chinese have died from this wave of Covid. (nytimes.com)
- How mRNA could be used to create a universal flu vaccine. (theconversation.com)
Cannabis
- The FDA has refused to regulate CBD. (vox.com)
- How cannabis can reduce agitation in dementia patients. (wsj.com)
- There is still a lot to learn about cannabinoids. (knowablemagazine.org)
- How does cannabis use affect anesthesia? (wsj.com)
Dogs
- What happens to greyhounds as a breed as dog racing disappears. (wsj.com)
- The case for feeding dogs raw food, i.e. not kibble. (newscientist.com)
Food
- Pistachios are having a moment. (eater.com)
- Can you really eat a 20 year old can of Chef Boyardee? (slate.com)
Drink
- How 'Dry January' can help reset your relationship with alcohol. (wapo.st)
- American pilsner is becoming a thing. (punchdrink.com)
- The ABV is going up on some kombucha brands. (vinepair.com)
Media
- It's hard to find the middle ground on TV reboots. (nytimes.com)
- Post-Covid, community theaters are struggling to survive. (npr.org)
- What are the most profitable Hollywood movies of all-time? It depends on how you measure it. (informationisbeautiful.net)
Sports
- How Howard University's swim program came back from the brink of elimination. (si.com)
- People love pickleball, but will they watch it on TV? (nytimes.com)
- What lessons, if any, can we take from the Wrexham AFC turnaround? (sportico.com)
- Amazingly, Bristol City has gone 65 straight games without a penalty kick. (nytimes.com)
College
- If you want to become a Supreme Court clerk go to Harvard, Yale or Princeton. (nytimes.com)
- How peer groups affect the selection of college majors. (papers.ssrn.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: an identity crisis. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Are you a financial adviser looking for some out-of-the-box thinking? Then check out our weekly e-mail newsletter. (newsletter.abnormalreturns.com)
